J.J. Hardy doubles in the go-ahead run in the 13th. / Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Sports

by John Perrotto, Special for USA TODAY Sports

by John Perrotto, Special for USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK - The Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees split their 18 regular-season meetings and have split the first four games of their American League Division Series.

Thus, they will meet in a fittingly decisive Game 5 at 5:07 p.m. ET Friday to decide who will advance to the American League Championship Series and face the Detroit Tigers. Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia (15-6, 3.38 in the regular season) faces Orioles right-hander Jason Hammel (8-6, 3.43) in a rematch of Game 1.

The Orioles forced Game 5 by slipping past the Yankees 2-1 on J.J. Hardy's RBI double in the 13th inning on Thursday night at Yankee Stadium.

"We've battled each other all year," Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez said. "I'm sure Game 5 will be another battle."

The Yankees held off the upstart Orioles for the AL East title, finishing two games in front.

"How can you not be excited about a Game 5?" Orioles left fielder Nate McLouth said. "The way this series has gone, you know it's going to be a great game."

The last three games have all been decided by one run and Game 1 was tied going into the ninth inning.

A night after their streak of 16 consecutive extra-inning victories ended, the Baltimore Orioles started a new streak and kept its season alive.

J.J. Hardy doubled in the winning run in the top of the 13th inning to lift the Orioles to a 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday night in Game 4 of their American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium.

Orioles rookie Manny Machado, 20, started the winning rally with a double to right field off losing pitcher David Phelps. Nate McLouth advanced Machado to third with a ground out and Hardy delivered with a double that one-hopped the fence in front of the Orioles' bullpen in left-center field.

The teams had combined to go 0-for-19 with runners in scoring position until Hardy's hit. The Orioles finished the game 1-for-9 in those situations and the Yankees were a woeful 0-for-11.

"Pitchers have been making their pitches and maybe we're all trying to do too much," Hardy said. "There haven't been a whole lot of opportunities to score runs, so when there are opportunities I think we're trying a little bit too hard."

Rodriguez's struggles continued a night after he was pinch-hit for in the ninth inning. He went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and is 2-for-16 with nine whiffs in the series. Rodriguez is 4-for-34 in his last nine postseason games over the last two years.

Rodriguez had a chance to be the hero in the eighth inning when he stepped to the plate with the scored tied at 1-1 with out and runners on second and third. However, he struck out against sidearm-pitching reliever Darren O'Day, and Nick Swisher then hit an inning-ending fly out.

"It's frustrating," Rodriguez said. "I had a chance to do some damage there and I didn't come through. I've seen O'Day a lot this season but I still seem to be able to figure out. Of course, he had a lot of guys' numbers tonight."

O'Day pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi yanked Rodriguez, who is fifth in major-league history with 647 home runs, in the ninth inning of Game 3 and Raul Ibanez hit a game-tying home run then homered to win the game in the 12th.

Rodriguez, though, said he didn't feel he had anything to prove in Game 4.

"All I was thinking about when I stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning was driving in a run and giving us the lead," Rodriguez said.

Center fielder Curtis Granderson hasn't been any better. He was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and is 1-for-16 with nine strikeouts in the series after hitting 43 regular-season home runs.

"I'm feeling good but I chasing too many pitches out of the strike zone," Granderson said.

There was a scary moment in the 11th inning when Yankees reliever Joba Chamberlain was struck by Matt Wieters' broken bat and suffered a bruised right elbow. X-rays of Chamberlain's arm showed no breaks, and Yankees manager Joe Girardi said he removed Chamberlain to make sure he did suffer any swelling in the elbow.

Jim Johnson pitched a perfect 13th for the save after blowing a save opportunity in Game 3 when he served up Ibanez's ninth-inning shot. Johnson also took the loss in Game 1 when he was rocked for five runs.

Pedro Strop pitched two scoreless innings for the win.

Yankees starter Phil Hughes pitched well despite not getting a decision as he allowed just one run and three hits in 6 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and three walks.

For the second time in as many starts in this postseason, Orioles left-hander Joe Saunders pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run. While that was enough to get the win last Friday when Baltimore knocked off Texas 5-1 in the winner-take-all AL wild card, it only earned him a no-decision Thursday as he gave up three runs, struck out five and walked four.

Saunders left after giving up a run in the sixth on Robinson Cano's ground out that enabled New York to tie the game at 1-1. Derek Jeter, who bruised his left foot in Game 3, led off the inning with a double and was bunted to third by Ichiro Suzuki before scoring on Cano's bouncer to second base.

McLouth opened the scoring with a leadoff home run in the top of the fifth inning. He preserved the one-run lead in the bottom of the fifth when he made a leaping catch of a long fly ball by Jayson Nix against the left-field catch then threw to first base to double up Russell Martin for an inning-ending double play.

The game remained tied until Hardy finally delivered a clutch hit in the 13th.

"Fortunately or unfortunately we have some experience in these kind of games," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "This time of year, you find an auxiliary tank."